Eileen Bennett Whittingstall
Encyclopedia
Eileen Bennett Whittingstall (16 July 1907–ca. 18 August 1979) was a female tennis
player from the United Kingdom
who won six Grand Slam
doubles titles from 1927 to 1931.
, 6–1, 6–2 in 1928 and 6–4, 6–1 in 1931. She twice won the women's doubles title at the French Championships, in 1928 with Phoebe Holcroft Watson
and in 1931 with Betty Nuthall Shoemaker
. Whittingstall and Shoemaker lost the 1932 final to the team of Moody and Elizabeth Ryan
.
Whittingstall teamed with Ermyntrude Harvey
to reach the 1928 women's doubles final at Wimbledon
, losing to the team of Watson and Peggy Saunders 6–2, 6–3. She also teamed with Shoemaker to win the 1931 women's doubles title at the U.S. Championships, defeating Helen Jacobs
and Dorothy Round Little
in the final 6–2, 6–4. Whittingstall twice partnered with Henri Cochet
to win the mixed doubles title at the French Championships. In both 1928 and 1929, they defeated the team of Moody and Frank Hunter
in the final. Whittingstall and Cochet lost the 1930 final to the team of Bill Tilden
and Cilly Aussem
.
Whittingstall and Cochet won the mixed doubles title at the 1927 U.S. Championships, defeating Hazel Wightman and René Lacoste
in the final.
According to Wallis Myers of The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail
, Whittingstall was ranked in the world top ten in 1928, 1929, 1931, and 1932, reaching a career high of World No. 3 in those rankings in 1931.
She was married to Edmund Fearnley Whittingstall, a painter. She is credited with first wearing an above-the-knee form of divided skirt for competitive tennis.
A = did not participate in the tournament.
SR = the ratio of the number of Grand Slam singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played.
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
player from the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
who won six Grand Slam
Grand Slam (tennis)
The four Major tennis tournaments, also called the Slams, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world tour ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, strength and size of player field, and public attention. They are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and...
doubles titles from 1927 to 1931.
Career
Although most of her success was in women's doubles or mixed doubles, Whittingstall reached the singles final of the 1928 French Championships and the 1931 U.S. Championships. She lost both of those finals to Helen Wills MoodyHelen Wills Moody
Helen Newington Wills Roark , also known as Helen Wills Moody, was an American tennis player. She has been described as "the first American born woman to achieve international celebrity as an athlete."-Biography:...
, 6–1, 6–2 in 1928 and 6–4, 6–1 in 1931. She twice won the women's doubles title at the French Championships, in 1928 with Phoebe Holcroft Watson
Phoebe Holcroft Watson
Phoebe Holcroft Watson was a tennis player from the United Kingdom whose best result in singles was reaching the final of the US Championships in 1929, losing to Helen Wills Moody 6–4, 6–2...
and in 1931 with Betty Nuthall Shoemaker
Betty Nuthall
Betty May Nuthall Shoemaker was an English tennis player.Known for her powerful forehand, according to Wallis Myers of The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail, Shoemaker was ranked in the world top ten in 1927, 1929 through 1931, and 1933, reaching a career high in those rankings of World No...
. Whittingstall and Shoemaker lost the 1932 final to the team of Moody and Elizabeth Ryan
Elizabeth Ryan
Elizabeth Montague Ryan was an American tennis player who was born in Anaheim, California but lived most of her life in the United Kingdom. Ryan won 30 Grand Slam titles. Nineteen of those titles were in women's doubles and mixed doubles at Wimbledon, an all-time record for those two events...
.
Whittingstall teamed with Ermyntrude Harvey
Ermyntrude Harvey
Ermyntrude Harvey was a British tennis player of the 1920s.In 1927, she won the US Women's National Championship in women's doubles with Kathleen McKane, and reached the final of Wimbledon the following year ....
to reach the 1928 women's doubles final at Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
, losing to the team of Watson and Peggy Saunders 6–2, 6–3. She also teamed with Shoemaker to win the 1931 women's doubles title at the U.S. Championships, defeating Helen Jacobs
Helen Jacobs
Helen Hull Jacobs was a World No. 1 American female tennis player who won ten Grand Slam titles. She was born in Globe, Arizona, United States.- Tennis career :...
and Dorothy Round Little
Dorothy Round Little
Dorothy Edith Round Little was a World No. 1 British female tennis player. She was born in Dudley, Worcestershire, England, where she attended the Dudley Girls High School....
in the final 6–2, 6–4. Whittingstall twice partnered with Henri Cochet
Henri Cochet
Henri Jean Cochet was a champion tennis player, one of the famous "Four Musketeers" from France who dominated tennis in the late 1920s and early 1930s....
to win the mixed doubles title at the French Championships. In both 1928 and 1929, they defeated the team of Moody and Frank Hunter
Francis Hunter
For the Distinguished Service Cross recipient, see Francis Hunter .----Francis "Frank" Townsend Hunter was a male tennis player from the United States of America...
in the final. Whittingstall and Cochet lost the 1930 final to the team of Bill Tilden
Bill Tilden
William Tatem Tilden II , nicknamed "Big Bill," is often considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time. An American tennis player who was the World No. 1 player for seven years, he won 14 Majors including ten Grand Slams and four Pro Slams. Bill Tilden dominated the world of...
and Cilly Aussem
Cilly Aussem
Cilly Aussem was a German female tennis player.She was the first German to win the women's singles title at Wimbledon in 1931. She also won the women's single titles at the French Championships and German Championships in 1931. Aussem's coach and mixed doubles partner was Bill Tilden...
.
Whittingstall and Cochet won the mixed doubles title at the 1927 U.S. Championships, defeating Hazel Wightman and René Lacoste
René Lacoste
Jean René Lacoste was a French tennis player and businessman. He was nicknamed "the Crocodile" by fans because of his tenacity on the court; he is also known worldwide as the namesake of the Lacoste tennis shirt, which he introduced in 1929.Lacoste was one of The Four Musketeers, French tennis...
in the final.
According to Wallis Myers of The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
, Whittingstall was ranked in the world top ten in 1928, 1929, 1931, and 1932, reaching a career high of World No. 3 in those rankings in 1931.
She was married to Edmund Fearnley Whittingstall, a painter. She is credited with first wearing an above-the-knee form of divided skirt for competitive tennis.
Grand Slam singles tournament timeline
| Tournament | 1925 | 1926 | 1927 | 1928 | 1929 | 1930 | 1931 | 1932 | 1933 | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | Career SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Championships Australian Open The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court... |
A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 0 |
| French Championships | A | A | SF | F | SF | 2R | 2R | QF | QF | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 7 |
| Wimbledon The Championships, Wimbledon The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors... |
1R | 2R | 3R | QF | 4R | 2R | 4R | QF | 4R | 2R | 4R | A | A | 2R | 0 / 12 |
| U.S. Championships | A | A | 3R | A | A | A | F | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 2 |
| SR | 0 / 1 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 21 |
A = did not participate in the tournament.
SR = the ratio of the number of Grand Slam singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played.
See also
- Performance timelines for all female tennis players who reached at least one Grand Slam finalTennis performance timeline comparison (women)This article presents in a tabular form the career tennis Grand Slam, World Hard Court Championships and Olympic singles results of every woman who has reached the singles final of at least one Grand Slam, World Hard Court Championships or Olympic tournament during her career...